Philip Blake Putnam, 22, was charged with aggravated child abuse after his son was taken to the hospital with a broken arm. While the baby is still in the hospital and is showing signs of improvement, Putnam remains in jail. According the Lawrenceburg Police Chief, after arresting Putnam, he discovered that the man was wanted under several active arrest warrants for drug-related charges in another county.

It is sad to think that a father, no matter what his substance abuse problems, would lash out at an infant in this way. It is also sad to realize that if the police had been able to find Putnam and arrest him on the drug-related charges, his son might have been spared the physical abuse from his father. Parental abuse is devastating for young children, who suffer emotional, physical and psychological scars for the rest of their lives.

If Putnam is found guilty of aggravated child abuse, he could face up to 30 years in prison for the crime.